Why You NEED To Go To Skopje, Macedonia NOW

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I have a confession to make: I’m OBSESSED with beautiful street posts & lamps and I’ll go anywhere for a pretty lamp. I know, weird obsession. But a harmless one! Ever since I saw pictures of Skopje on Instagramand Pinterest, I knew I had to go!

As my first introduction to Macedonia, Skopje was the best place to start. It was one of my favorite cities along our 2 Week Balkan Road Tripfor our honeymoon. I like to call Skopje the “Mini Las Vegas of Europe without the casinos”. It is unlike any other European capital you will find, with it’s very own style. Skopje is very much a city finding its own two feet with tons of buildings under renovation or completely new buildings giving this city a refreshing vibe to both those who live there and visitors. Honestly, it was one of the most amazing cities to visit in the Balkans!

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1. The History

Skopje’s history dates back to antiquity (4000 BC) which means that the country has one of the oldest civilizations in the world. Although much of the city center now looks completely new, there is still a ton of history to be explored. The Kale Fortress, perched above the town dates back to the Byzantine rulers of the 6th century and is where Neolithic remains have been discovered. And just at the foot of the fortress is the Old Bazaar which has been the heart and soul of the city since the 12th century.

Fast forward a couple of thousands of years and we have the beautiful city that is emerging as an up & coming tourists destination. Directly after WWII, the city rapidly expanded but this was cut short by a massive earthquake on July 23, 1963 which devastated the city. Many historic buildings were lost and soon Skopje became an example of modernist architecture.

The country was incorporated into the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in 1963 and later gained its independence in 1991, acquiring the name Republic of Macedonia. This caused quite a row with Greece, as they also have a region named “Macedonia”. Both countries state that their history can date back to an ancient kingdom called Macedon and that the other is not entitled to claim that title. Depending on who you talk to, whether a Greek or a Macedonian, the name still comes with some high tensions. Because of this, the country has not gained its membership into NATO, so it’s best to stick with The Republic of Macedonia. (Soon to be renamed the Republic of North Macedonia)

Thanks in part to the “Skopje 2014” project, many of the historic landmarks were rebuilt and renovated, however, this came with some severe criticism. In a country still suffering from high unemployment and poverty, the project has been criticized for spending nearly $700million (50-80million euros). Prior to visiting at the end of May, there had been quite a few protests in both Skopje and other cities around the country against charges of corruption, which led to a “Color Revolution”. Luckily, this was all over by the time we arrived and the buildings all painted white again.

2. The Modern Architecture

I typically despise modern architecture as boring and cold and being the cause of lost history. Many modern buildings and skyscrapers tend to replace historic buildings which sadly had been badly neglected or abandoned. However, Skopje has a very contemporary feel about it while at the same time inspiring a classic Greek style. Large, monumental, pristine white buildings line the river banks, feeling more like that “mini European Las Vegas” I mentioned earlier.

The Skopje 2014 project has been criticized as an expensive and unnecessary display of “nationalism” with an explosion of construction and renovation of a ton of new buildings, bridges and government offices. With a plethora of new monuments of some of the country’s historical figures, the city is trying to create a feeling of national pride.

3. The Statues & the Monuments & the LAMPS!!

Never in my life have I seen so many MASSIVE statues, monuments and fountains all in one place. The most impressive statue was without a doubt the Warrior on a Horse of Alexander the Great in the center of the city to which when I look at it, reminds me of Buzz Lightyear… “To infinity and beyond!” Some statues and monuments honor the country’s historical figures who have had a deep influence in art, music and politics while others glorify things like the stages of motherhood.

I was surprised to find the bull – the symbol of the financial district, only to discover that our hotel was in this quarter. Two statues on the other hand caught my attention for being completely and utterly absurd. One of a girl walking while talking on a cell phone and the other of a poor beggar with an outstretched hand. Why not just donate the money used to make the statue of a beggar to an actual beggar who is hungry?

Remember how I said I loved lamps? Well, Skopje was my playground! Every few feet there was another beautifully crafted lamp and when we got to the Museum of Archeology and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, I was in heaven. There are several beautiful bridges throughout the city, but no more so than the Bridge of Civilizations in Macedonia and the Art Bridge. Both were just COVERED in lamps! Obviously, checking out these bridges were one of the top things to do in Skopje!

Quite possibly the most absurd, over the top installation the city has spent it’s money on are the four replica Galleon style war ships on the Vardar River. While they are attractive and make for an interesting cafe or restaurant, the theme park style boats actually have no reason to be there and are considered to be “the ultimate example of bad taste”, leaving many locals furious. Clearly an example of the misuse of funds.

4. The Old Bazaar

Quite possibly the best part of the city is the historic Old Bazaar, which I mentioned dates back to the 12th century. Here, you’ll find that the town still has that historic Ottoman Empire feel about it. Skopje’s Bazaar is actually the largest in the Balkans outside of Istanbul, Turkey and is therefore, one of the most interesting things to see in Skopje!

Small groups of men sit outside of their shops and cafes watching the passersby. I’m not going to lie, there were some awkward and uncomfortable “mmm hrmm” nods as I walked by. One shop after another was filled with gold and silver jewelry, leaving you wondering how they all manage to stay open while competing for customers.

Here, you’ll also find some of the best traditional food in the city, which is quite similar to Turkish food. After strolling the alleys, we plopped down at the first restaurant we found and devoured a variety of grilled meats and chicken, Turkish style bread and a Macedonian beer.

5.The Mix of People and Religions

While much of the population of Macedonia is made up of ethnic Macedonians, a large percentage are Albanians and the Turks. Therefore, you have a cultural hub of religions and people coming together in the city. You’ll find Christianity, Islam and Eastern Orthodox, which is the predominate religion here. Saint Clement of Ohrid was an impressive Eastern Orthodox church with vibrant paintings on the inside, while the outside was far too modern to be historic. It was consecrated only in 1990 and is the largest Macedonian Orthodox Cathedral. By far one of the most unique churches in Europe I’ve seen yet!

You’ll also find a memorial house dedicated to Mother Teresa, who is was born in Skopje (then part of the Kosovo Vilayet of the Ottoman Empire). She was an Albanian-Indian Roman Catholic nun and missionary who lived in Ireland and India for most of her life.

6. The Nightlife!

We were surprised to find how lively the night life was! The city really comes alive as the enormous fountains show off their Vegas-style light shows. During the warm summer nights, once the sun has set, the locals head Macedonia Square to cool off by playing in the choreographed water fountains. Young and old dare to challenge the water fountain by running across it as fast as they can before the water shoots up and splashes them. Others simply make it their mission to get as soaked as possible. I was not brave enough, but it was certainly the best thing to do at night in Skopje!

After admiring this for a while, we strolled along the Vardar River, taking some night time photos of my beloved lamps, we plopped down at Etno Bar to enjoy a glass of wine and more delicious Baklava. By now, I was hooked!

7. It’s Cheap!

It’s pretty common knowledge that Eastern Europe and the Balkans are incredibly cheap and your money will go farther than more popular destinations like Germany, France or Italy. On average while in Macedonia, for two meals, two beers and a water, we paid roughly 15 €. If you’re wondering where to stay in Skopje, then consider where we stayed at, the Elsa Hotel⭐⭐⭐⭐, right in the heart of the city and paid only 83 €. The hotel staff were incredibly friendly and even upgraded us to the Business Suite for our honeymoon. While at our hotel, I had secretly booked us a one hour couples massage, in our hotel room through the hotel for a whopping 20 € each!

While I loved our hotel, I later discovered the Skopje Marriott Hotel right in the center of town near the Warrior on a Horse Fountain which has incredibly reasonable prices which I would have also enjoyed.

8.The People

We found that while in Macedonia, many of the people we came into contact with were incredibly friendly and glad to have tourists. This should really have come as no surprise to me as one of my coworkers is from Skopje, who is both super friendly, outgoing and was touched that we were visiting her second home country. Hi Lence! 🙂 They were incredibly hospitable and excited to answer any questions, give us recommendations or show us the way. The best surprise of all was how well everyone spoke English, mostly young adults, mind you. And not just good English, but PERFECT English!

9.The Lack of Tourists

The Balkans is beginning to finally catch people’s attention again, now that a significant amount of time has passed and the tensions have cooled after the atrocities of the Bosnian Wars as well as the fall of the Iron Curtain. Most tourists seem to be flocking to Croatia on their holidays, easily overlooking some of the other nearby countries. However, despite the slight increase of tourists to the city, it’s still significantly lower than it’s neighbors.

I felt we were only one of a few tourists in the city, while the rest were locals going about their day, attending prayer. With that said, I feel that I can safely call Skopje a diamond in the rough! Now is definitely the time to visit before it becomes too popular and prices increase. Skopje is still very much one of the most off-the-beaten-path destinations in the Balkans but is without a doubt one of the coolest cities to visit in the Balkans!

The Negative Bits About Visiting Skopje

Some Unhelpful People

With any new city or country, you’re bound to have a few low moments on your trip. We did encounter some not very friendly or unhelpful people during our stay as well. It took us longer than usual to find our hotel as our navigation didn’t work in Macedonia and we couldn’t find the street of our hotel on our maps. We stopped at a gas station, asked a police officer and had to resort to asking a taxi driver for help. They gas station had no idea and no maps, the police officer wasn’t even from Skopje and had no idea and we had to ask two different taxi drivers, the second of which was nice enough to google it on his phone.

Beggars Street Washing Your Car Windows at a Red Light

This isn’t the first time I’ve seen this, but it caught me completely off guard as I was trying to navigate through crazy Macedonian drivers and traffic and my husband was reading maps. Out of no where, we were surrounded in our car at a red light by people cleaning our windows and then demanding payment for unwanted service. I forcefully yelled at the girls through the window not to touch my car to only fall on deaf ears. Soon, we encountered a tense moment when we thought one of the girls would smash our window as she had been attacked by my car’s automatic windshield wipers. I warned her. Needless to say, I zoomed off as fast as possible.

Chaotic Skopje Traffic

I’ll never.ever.EVER complain about traffic again in Germany in all my life after driving in Skopje. Not only was there a lot of traffic, but there was absolutely no flow. Lights were clearly not aligned to allow the maximum flow of traffic. Drivers created their own lanes, sometimes 3-4 wide, even if the road was wide enough for two lanes. Drivers pushed their way into the traffic from parking lots and whatnot, blocking the flow of traffic even more. Streets were closed off (where our hotel was) by a large police presence, which had us worried. But, it was just extra protection for the inauguration of the new government.

The Pack of Stray Dogs Harassing People

Prior to our trip, I had read that this was a common problem throughout the Balkans, but I didn’t imagine it to be so much. Up to this point, we had only seen one or two stray dogs at a time, mostly sleeping or searching for crumbs. While in Skopje, however, there was a scary moment when a pack of 5-6 dogs were running wild through the beautiful city center barking and harassing pedestrians with leashed dogs. I stood for a few minutes watching in astonishment and was reminded of the movie Cujo I was forced to watch in high school. Hopefully one day this problem will be solved.

Not so threatening though, were the stray cats preying upon us while at lunch in the Old Bazaar, waiting for a piece of food to drop. Every few minutes we had to stomp our feet or the waiter would come over to shoo them away. Rather annoying but way less worrisome.

The Stench of Urine

Every big city has this problem. Even London, Munich, Berlin. You name it, there’s usually a drunk out there somewhere needing to relieve himself. It’s an unfortunate thing. But while in Skopje, in the middle of all that beautiful architecture was the occasional waft of urine. Especially down by the Vardar River and the Stone Bridge.

The Police Officer Who Pulled Me Over For No Reason

Yup. While trying to LEAVE the city, I had been signaled to pull over. While I had thought she was signaling that I turn right, my husband confirmed that she was implying that I pull over. I rolled down the window only to have a staring contest with the police officer before I finally broke the silence by asking if something was the matter. She stared at me as if I should know the answer before questioning where we were from. I replied, in English, we were from Germany (clearly, as stated on our license plates) only to be thrown an annoyed look and told to drive on. I still don’t know why we were pulled over. Clearly, she didn’t want to deal with foreigners. Probably too much paperwork.

Tips for Visiting Skopje

Macedonian currency is only available IN the country and is illegal to take out of the country.

Overall Experience

First of all, I felt incredibly honored to visit Macedoniaafter seeing the joy in my coworker’s face that someone was actually going to be visiting her second home country. And I was incredibly touched when she gifted us a bit of Macedonian money to enjoy a beer with her name on it! Thanks Lence! So this one is for you!I feel absolute pride well up in my chest when I can say I have been where so few have gone and come back raving about how much I fell in love with her city!

Between absolutely being in heaven because of the lamps, the delicious food, the lovely people we met, the astonishing architecture, the fascinating history and the beautifully hot day we had, I would say we ABSOLUTELY LOVED Skopje! It was unlike any other European city we have yet to visit and we thoroughly enjoyed the lack of tourists. There were never any super large tour groups, tons of souvenir shops and marketing schemes.

All of these positive aspects clearly outweighed the negative experiences we had while there. I’d go back in a heartbeat and wouldn’t mind visiting again in a few years to see what has changed, as there were a ton of buildings being built. While it might be expensive now to build and that money could have gone to something more important like improving infrastructure, feeding the poor or creating jobs, one day it will all pay off as the tourists will come. If you build it, they shall come, right?

Looking for more practical information on Balkan Travel? Grab a copy the following travel guides which we found incredibly useful on our trip and has something for everyone from outdoor activities to historical sites!

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you click on one and make a purchase, I might make a little extra spending money, at no extra cost to you. As always, all opinions are my own and these products/services have been found useful during our travels and come highly recommended to you from yours truly!

Replies to Why You NEED To Go To Skopje, Macedonia NOW

Beautiful post, love it! 🙂 I love the Balkans too, and I cannot wait to go back and explore more countries in the region. Skopje sounds interesting. Stray dogs remind me a bit of Georgia in the Caucasus.

Oh my, Skopje looks amazing. Right up my alley. I love discovering new and undiscovered cities. I think that, the fact that it has all been cleaned and renovated, gives it such a fresh new look (without being too over polished). Excellent!
#WanderfulWednesday

I want to visit a bazaar, such a cool word! lol So they have those red light window washers here in Houston too. They always walk towards my car and I always shake my head “no” but they don’t listen. Funny thing is… my car has automatic windshield wipers so the second they touch my window and it senses water, the wipers start going off! They seriously get so mad thinking I did it on purpose but I warned them! lol

That’s exactly what happened to us too!! They don’t realize that the newer cars have automatic windshield wipers! I seriously thought she was going to break my driver side window (I was driving) so I was quite scared!

There is so much interesting and helpful information packed in this post! It was great read since you do not find a lot of good info about countries like these. I feel like people with a bad case of wanderlust need to see Skopje because of its uniqueness (I sure want to go). Your negatives have some similarities with what you find in Latin American countries. So, I think Macedonia is in some sort of development phase. #WanderfulWednesday

What a fascinating and rewarding city to visit, Lori! And what amazingly good value it is to stay there. Those prices are unreal! Thanks for putting it onto the tourist radar with all of us at #FarawayFiles

I believe in honesty rather than fluff. I’ll be posting about Sofia, Bulgaria soon and it won’t be very fluffy but I thin people need to know the reality before these days we see so many imagines online, on IG & FB edited and spruced up to be made to look better than they really are.

I’m sure we would love Skopje given our shared obsession with lamp posts Lori. Appreciate your candid observations to Macedonia is a bit of an undiscovered gem and I would love to learn more. Thanks for joining #farawayfiles

I’m embarrassed to say that before I read your post I couldn’t have told you what country Skopje was in (apart from somewhere in the Balkans). I loved learning about the city, I think the (cheap!) food and bazaar would do me! #farawayfiles

I love lamp posts too 😉 We were almost in Skopje in the Spring but ended up not being able to visit. City has some great history and architecture and sounds like you had a great visit minus the dogs and urine 😉

I had never thought of going to Macedonia but you make some good points. The lampposts are really pretty and I think the statue of the girl on the cell phone is hilarious. Adding it to my list #TheWeeklyPostcard.

Once again, I’ve never heard of this city. You always find the coolest spots to visit and uncover such hidden gems! This place looks awesome and you’ve outlined so many amazing reasons to visit! I like that you call it a mini Las Vegas and I can see why. That water fountain at night looks like so much fun!

Such a pretty city! Macedonia has only recently gotten on my radar (as a result of learning about that spat with Greece you mentioned – very interesting!) and it looks well worth a visit! It’s such a thrill to discover places that few travellers have been to, isn’t it? Btw, I’m not surprised that everyone there speaks English – I met a guy from Serbia recently who spoke excellent English.

I haven’t been in Macedonia, but I would surely like to visit it, especially since you say it’s not overcrowded. It seems the street posts & lamps are not the only beautiful thing in Skopje. There seems to be a perfect balance between the old and new architecture in town. #TheWeeklyPostcard

I didn’t know much about Macedonia. It looks so interesting and beautiful. I’m a sucker for lampposts and over the too structures. This post made me want to visit. Glad you still enjoyed your visit despite the negatives.

Wow I loved your post and actually it made Skopje enter my list of capitals to visit! I also found out there is a direct flight from Venice, and it seems a good place for a week end with nightlife and reasonable prices! Thank you for sharing this good read on #TheWeelkyPostcard

It seems like Skopje has a little bit of everything. I too LOVE the lamp posts, and the outside of Saint Clement of Ohrid looks very interesting! I like that you included some of the negative aspects of Skopje as well. That’s useful info to have!

What an interesting place to visit! I think you have convinced me to put this place on my list. I love the lamp posts too! They are so beautiful and romantic. I had hoped to add the Balkans to my Europe travel plans this October but I simply don’t have enough time – next time then! Skopje sounds like a really fascinating place with some good history too. #farawayfiles

You took us from Sko-what? to YEAH we need to go! What a great looking city. St. Ohrid may be modern, but it’s so Insta-worthy. The fountains are pretty day and night, too. The architecture, the statues, the old bazaar – they all are calling to us. Thanks for putting this gem on our radar! #TheWeeklyPostcard

Really glad you enjoyed Skopje and got to see some of what makes the country so fascinating. I have to agree with you on the lampposts, statues and architecture as it really does make the centre of the city quite entertaining. Love your photos too, especially with that wide-angle lens. Glad to see the city is looking repaired after some horrific floods last year. This does have me keen to go back in the future.

Oh I didn’t know about the floods! I only heard about the color revolution!! I highly suggest you invest in a wide lens! I’ve had soooo many comments on it and now I actually use it for almost all of my pictures!

I will be there in 3 weeks. Looks a big contrast to the Skopje I visited in 06. Not sure my Greek friends will appreciate the Alexander the Great statue though. Thanks for the post – it will be interesting to compare. Wilbur. #citytripping

I’m with you- I’m not a big fan of modern architecture. I think that’s one of the reasons I love Europe so much because there is so much beauty and history that accompanies the buildings. #citytripping

What a beautiful city – I have to admit I don’t know too much about the country but have read a few blogs over the summer and there seems so much to discover, I am really tempted by the idea for next year. Thanks for linking up with #citytripping

You’ve made me want to visit Macedonia even more now. A great variety of things to do and see and I always love going somewhere which isn’t too touristy. I didn’t know Mother Theresa lived in the region. Thanks for the background. #citytripping

Right, you have convinced me! Minor negative experiences actually add to the overall impression of a place under tourism discovery, right? I’m off… and I won’t mention the Macedonia in Greece, I promise! 😉 Nice post – thanks! #CityTripping
p.s. still struggling to see the Buzz Lightyear resemblance 😉

It is great that this city remade itself after the fall of the iron curtain and the earthquake. While people will protest the high cost of the remake, I think it will pay dividends for years to come in tourism (and probably paid a lot of wages to the local construction industry).

I met someone the other day who was living in Macedonia, and she didn’t seem all too happy to be there (but she insisted it was a great place to visit). I had never really heard much about the country, so I’m glad I came across this! It looks quite lovely, and it’s nice to know that it isn’t super expensive. That’s a shame about the waste of money on some of the buildings/statues, and about the police officer, but it seems like you had a great trip nonetheless! Thanks for the information, I hope I can go sometime soon!

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Hi there! Guten Tag! My name is Lorelei, aka Lady Lolo, I’m an American expat living in Germany with a serious addiction to adorable half-timbered houses, fairy tale towns and castles. I may have an unwritten rule with my husband that at least once a month, we have to explore somewhere new to satisfy my restless feet syndrome!

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